Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)

Abstract Maintaining a constant superficial gas velocity (Usg) is the most common criterion for scaling aerated photobioreactors, yet whether it preserves gas–liquid hydrodynamics is rarely tested directly. Euler–Euler CFD was used to characterize two baffled airlift reactors, a 9.7 L laboratory unit and a 106 L scaled-up unit, over Usg = 0.025–0.10 m·s⁻¹, evaluating gas holdup, gas-phase velocity, and the volumetric mass transfer coefficient (kLa) alongside Reynolds number, Froude number, and power input per unit volume (P/V). Across this range, gas holdup rose 2.4–2.6-fold and kLa rose 1.3–1.6-fold in both reactors, but mean gas velocity increased more in the larger unit (1.4-fold vs. 1.1-fold). Extended-range simulations of the large reactor showed continued but progressively less proportional gains. Froude number was not conserved across scales, and P/V remained consistently higher in the larger reactor. These results show that Usg alone is an insufficient scale-up criterion, gas holdup, kLa, Froude number, and P/V should be evaluated jointly.

Abstract In this study, hydrodynamic characteristics such as gas holdup (ε), liquid phase velocity, and mass transfer coefficient (kLa) for air-diesel system were modeled for bubble column (BCR), airlift (ALR), and airlift with the net draft tube (ALR-NDT) reactors at different superficial gas velocities ranging from 0.008 to 0.085 m s-1. A 3D two-fluid Eulerian-Eulerian model was developed using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) technique to model the three configurations of column reactors and predict the hydrodynamic parameters. The results of 3D-CFD modeling showed a good agreement with the experimental data where average error was less than 14 and 9% for ε and kLa, respectively. Although the vortex occurred in BCR and ALR at high gas velocities, however optimum liquid and gas circulation and distribution observed in ALR-NDT. Furthermore, the formation of dead zone (kLa = 0) in the reactors was studied, and the results revealed that ALR-NDT has a lower volume of dead zones (about 8%) in comparison with BCR and ALR. In order to reduce the dead zone in BCR and ALR systems, the location of gas diffuser and draft tube were investigated. The dead zone was decreased by 12% with shifting of gas diffuser to the bottom of the BCR. Also, by increasing the distance of gas diffuser from draft tube, the dead zone was decreased by 40% specifically near the walls of ALR. Meanwhile, the simultaneous shifting of gas diffuser and draft tube to lower position in ALR had no effect on dead zone formation and its distribution.

Abstract Although not listed on the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), like standard USP 2, small volume USP 2 dissolution apparatus has gained a great deal of attention, especially for cases where small amount of drug product is available for testing in research and design step or evaluations are to be made on a tablet containing trace amounts of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. In this work, firstly, small volume USP 2 apparatus was designed and manufactured using downscaling rules and considering standard USP 2 as a reference. Then, velocity profile, flow patterns, and shear rate were obtained by PIV and COMSOL simulation software at paddle speeds of 66 and 133 rpm, corresponding to agitation speed of 50 and 100 rpm, respectively, in the standard USP 2. Comparison between experimental and computational results showed acceptable adaptation. Instantaneous velocity data showed eddies and secondary flows in different zones of the vessel, which is desirable for micro-mixing but undesirable in terms of system consistency and reproducibility, as sampling from these zones are known to lead to inconsistent data. Furthermore, increased agitation rate led to the disappearance of rotational zones around the paddle. The magnitude of velocity and shear rate increased by 35% with an increment of paddle stirring from 66 to 133 rpm.